Enhancement of critical heat flux in pool boiling using atomic layer deposition of alumina

Alumina nano coatings on platinum (Pt) micro wires were fabricated using atomic layer deposition. During the pool boiling heat transfer, the critical heat flux (CHF) of Pt/Alumina in de-ionized water was found to have a two-fold enhancement compared to that of the same Pt bare wire. The CHF was shown to increase with coating thickness of alumina up to a thickness of 20 nm. Coating thicknesses in excess of 20 nm had no additional influence on the CHF. The enhancement of the CHF is the result of the superwetting property of the amorphous alumina coatings, which significantly increases the liquid film thickness, enhancing the rewetting of the “hot spot.”